Cabinet letter-file.



No. 724,639. PATENTED APR. 7, 1903;

- s. H. WHEELER. v

GABINE'I' LETTER FILE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1901.

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PATENTBD APR. '7, 1903..

3. H. WHEELER; CABINET LETTER FILE. APPLICATION FILED JUL Y 18, 1901.

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e I MIL Euro? wmvlsssss ATTORNEY pheric effects to which the article may be ex UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HICKOX WHEELER, OF FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

CABlNET'LET-TER-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,639, dated-April 7, 1903.

' Application filed July 18,1901. erial'No. 68,823. (No model.)

To all wit/0m it maty concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HICKOX WHEELER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Fairfield, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cabinet Letter-Files, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to construct a cabinet or chestof drawers in which provision is made to compensate for atmosposed to insure the easy movement of the drawers and to exclude the entrance of dust.

In order to illustrate my invention, I have shown it as applied to a letter-filing cabinet, but mean not to be understood as limiting my invention to that one application thereof. However, the invention is specially applicable to cabinet letter-files. With this reservation I will proceed to describe my invention as thus applied.

In carrying out my invention I provide the frame or the drawer, or both of them, with means by which the drawer may be easily opened and closed, and when it is closed a practicallydust-proof joint is formed between the drawer and frame on all edges of the former, sufficient play being allowed between the drawer and the frame to compensate for any expansion or shrinkage consequent upon atmospheric changes.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a letter-cabinet, showing the preferred form of cabinet. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken substantially in the plane of line 00 00, Fig. 1, showing the uppermost drawer in longitudinal section and the two lower drawers in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, taken substantially in the plane of line y y, Fig. 1, with the drawer in plan view. Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections similar to Fig. 2, but showing part only of a cabinet with the drawers in side elevation and illustrating two modified forms of my invention. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a cabinet, illustrating the means I provide for insuring a dust-tight closure laterally; and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 on Fig. 6, the

drawer being shown in plan view.

The frame or case a may be of any approved construction, excepting as modified in accordance with the present invention, as hereinafter specified. The frame contains as many pockets 1) as there are drawers, and these. pockets are of slightly-greater dimensions than the drawers to be applied therein, and their floors incline rearwardly. Each drawer hasa front piece 0 (excepting as here- .inafter described) adapted to fit within the mouth of the pocket and havinga bottom lip d extending slightly beyond the bottom of the drawer, and this front piece may have a label-receiving portion or pocket, substantially as indicatedin the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 2, the cross-piece e of the frame is provided with an elevation or ridge f, arranged transverselyof the drawer, near its front, and upon which the-bottom of the drawer slides, or, as shown at g, Fig. 4, this ridge may be a piece attached to the crosspiece e, or, as shown at h, Fig. 5, this ridge may be attached to the bottom of the drawer to rest upon a flat cross-piece e Theeffect of the ridge in each case is to cause such an inclination of the drawer rearwardly when moved back into the pocket as to throw the front'end of the drawer into contact with the superimposed cross-piece, while at thesame time the 'bottom of the drawer keeps in close contact with the cross-piece below it, and thus a practically dust-proof connection of the.

drawer with the case or frame is, always insured no matter if the drawer be swollen or.

shrunken by reason of atmospheric conditions, and at the same time the movement of the drawer in and out of the pocket is rendered free and there is no sticking of the drawer in the case. This ridge in any of the forms described constitutes a sortof fulcrum upon which the drawer may betilted, as indicated at the lowermost drawer, Fig. 2, and hence the manipulation of the drawer is always rendered easy. The rearward inclination of the floors of the pockets admits of still greater tipping of the drawers to effect the close fit at front.

The drawers 7;, Figs.- 1, 2, 3, and 4, are of like construction, and the drawers j difier from these in having applied to their bottoms the ridges 71. The drawers k, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, differ from these other drawers in that they illustrate the provision for insuring a dust-tight closure laterally. For this purpose one of the sides of the frame may be beveled, as shown at Z, Figs. 6 and 7, and the front pieces a of the drawers are provided with the laterally-extended lips m, one of which cooperates with the beveled surface Z as the drawer is closed to force the drawer over laterallyand the other comes in contact with the cleat 'n. The cross-pieces 6 may be as in Fig. 2 or of other form.

Otherwise than as herein set forth the frames or cases are alike and their like parts are designated by corresponding letters of reference.

I have thus described various constructions embodying the principle of my invention, but wish to be understood as including in my invention all those constructions wherein the drawer is arranged in a pocket of normally greater cubical area than the drawer, and provision is made for moving the drawer so as to insure a practically dust-tight closure thereof within the pocket.

What I claim is- 1. A frame or case,having a drawer-pocket, a drawer arranged therein, and a ridge arranged transversely of the drawer near its front and interposed between the pocket and the drawer and upon which the drawer has a tilting motion by which its frontend is brought into close and practically dust-proof connection with the mouth of the pocket, substantially as described.

2. A frame orcase, havinga drawer-pocket, provided with a rearwardly-inclined floor, a drawer arranged in said pocket, and a ridge arranged transversely of the drawer near its front and interposed between the pocket and the drawer and upon which the drawer has a tilting motion by which its frontend is brought into close and practically dust-proof connection with the mouth of the pocket, substantially as described.

3. A frame, having a drawer-pocket, anda drawer arranged therein, combined with a ridge extending transversely beneath the drawer near its front end and upon which the bottom of the drawer rests as upon a fulcrum and by means of which the upper edge of the front of the drawer is tilted into close contact with the frame or case, substantially as described.

4. A frame or case, having drawer-pockets and drawers, combined with cross-pieces arranged at the mouths of the pockets, and ridges interposed between said cross-pieces and the bottoms of the drawers transversely of the frame and drawers and upon which the drawers have a tilting motion, substantially as described.

5. A frame or case, having a drawer-pocket, a drawer arranged therein, a ridge arranged transversely of the drawer near its front and interposed between the pocket and the drawer and upon which the drawer has a tilting motion by which its front end is brought into close and practically dust-proof horizontalconnection with the mouth of the pocket, and an incline arranged parallel with one side of the drawer, whereby said drawer in closing is moved laterally to effect a like close anddustproof vertical fit in the mouth of the pocket,

substantially as described.

6. A frame or case,having a d rawer-pocket, a drawer arranged therein, a ridge arranged transversely of the drawer near its front and interposed between the pocket and the drawer and upon which the drawer has a tilting motion by which its front end is brought into close and practicallydust-proof horizontal connection with the mouth of the pocket, and a vertically-disposed incline on the side of the frame or case in the mouth of the pocket, with which the side of the drawers end cooperates in closing to take up any loose fit laterally, substantially as described.

7. A cabinet-frame,provided withadrawerpocket and a drawer, combined with a ridge arranged transversely of the drawer near its front end, by which a gravity action is given to the drawer in closing the same to effect a substantially dust-tight fit between the front of the drawer and the front of the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of July, A. D. 1901.

SAMUEL HICKOX WHEELER.

\Vitnesses:

ISAAC HOLDEN, FRANK M. WOOTTON. 

